Taipei mayor invites public to Chrysanthemum Show

By Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter, with CNA

Mon, Nov 19, 2012 - Page 3

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday invited the public to witness a record-breaking single stem chrysanthemum bloom, which is being showcased at the 2012 Chrysanthemum Show at the Chiang Kai-shek Shilin Residence in the city’s Shilin District (士林).

“The record set at this year’s Chrysanthemum Show was 1,510 chrysanthemum blossoms on a single stem, up from last year’s 1,291. This signifies success, prosperity and wealth and we invite everyone to witness magnificent beauty,” Hau said during the opening ceremony of the annual flower festival.

The event, which closes on Dec. 2, consists of nine exhibition areas and will open each day between 8am and 7pm.

Hau said the species on display required attentive and long-term care, as well as advanced knowledge of fertilization, temperature management and lighting.

“The Parks and Street Lights Office under the Taipei City Government’s Public Works Department has been engaged in preparation for the event for 15 months ago and even grafted artemisias onto various floral species to provide longer support during bloom,” Hau said.

Hau added that the city has not only taken flower-planting techniques to the extreme, but has also developed its own distinctive floral esthetics.

Another highlight of this year’s floral extravaganza is a specimen of dahlia imperialis that reaches to a remarkable height of 5m.

This is the first time that the rare plant has been showcased in the country.

According to the parks office, although dahlia imperialis prefer being grown at a lower temperature, high-altitude mountain areas, regardless of temperature or relative humidity, could provide a more suitable location than level grounds for the species to thrive.

“That is why the dahlia imperialis on display at the event were first planted on Yangmingshan before being relocated here,” the office added.